Richard Rawlings’ Most Unbelievable Car Flips EXPOSED: The Secret Stories Behind His Craziest Mustang, Porsche, and Chevy Deals — How He Turned Dirt-Cheap Rides Into Fast N’ Loud Gold! 

Richard Rawlings, the high-octane, fast-talking star of Fast N’ Loud, is no stranger to high-stakes deals, dramatic transformations, and jaw-dropping flips. As the founder of Gas Monkey Garage in Dallas, Texas, Rawlings turned a love of muscle cars and vintage rides into a multimillion-dollar brand—and a television empire. Over the years, his keen eye for undervalued vehicles and uncanny ability to turn rust into gold have made him a legend in the automotive world.

From classic American muscle to rare European imports, Rawlings has seen it all. But among the hundreds of cars that have passed through his garage, a few stand out as personal favourites and unforgettable flips. This article dives deep into some of the most iconic buys and best sales in Rawlings’ Fast N’ Loud career—including his passion for Ford Mustangs, Porsches, and Chevrolets—and why these machines hold a special place in his gearhead heart.

The Raw Appeal of Ford Mustangs

Rawlings has never hidden his soft spot for Ford Mustangs. As a lifelong lover of American muscle, the Mustang’s legacy and styling are right up his alley. One of his most unforgettable flips involved a 1967 Fastback Mustang, which Gas Monkey Garage transformed into a sleek, modern powerhouse without losing its vintage charm.

The car was picked up in relatively solid condition, but the team gave it a full restomod treatment—new paint, upgraded suspension, and a roaring V8 that made it as fast as it looked. Rawlings admitted in several interviews that this was one of the few builds he was tempted to keep for himself.

But as always, business came first.

The Mustang sold at Barrett-Jackson for a hefty six-figure sum, netting a major profit and solidifying its place as one of the garage’s best flips. Fans still talk about the stunning graphite paint job and the craftsmanship involved in the build. It was more than just a sale—it was a statement about what Gas Monkey Garage could do.

The Porsche Pursuit: When Rawlings Went Euro

Although American muscle is Rawlings’ bread and butter, he has also dabbled in high-end European imports, and few left a mark quite like the 1977 Porsche 911 Carrera.

At first glance, it wasn’t the kind of car most Fast N’ Loud fans would expect to see on the show. But Rawlings saw potential where others might have seen an aging icon with too many miles.

He picked up the 911 at a bargain price from a private collector who was liquidating his garage. The car needed mechanical work and some love, but it wasn’t a full ground-up restoration. Instead, Rawlings and his crew focused on making it mechanically pristine while preserving its patina and originality—something highly valued in the Porsche community.

The result? A tastefully restored, period-correct sports car that sold to a collector overseas for nearly triple the purchase price. It wasn’t just a flip; it was a lesson in understanding market trends, rarity, and the value of originality.

Chevrolet Classics: From Bel Airs to Camaros

When it comes to Chevrolets, Rawlings has flipped everything from Tri-Five Bel Airs to second-gen Camaros, but none made headlines quite like his build of a 1968 Chevrolet Corvette—a car that stunned fans with its radical redesign and record-breaking sale.

This particular Corvette was found languishing in a storage lot, barely running and covered in layers of dust and neglect. But where others saw junk, Rawlings saw a gem. Working with his ace mechanic Aaron Kaufman at the time, the duo stripped it down to the bones and built it back up with custom touches that still respected its heritage.

They upgraded the LS engine, installed a new interior, and gave it a candy-apple red paint job that made jaws drop. The vehicle debuted at SEMA, catching the attention of collectors and major players in the car world. When it finally sold, the profit margin was enormous—one of the biggest in the history of Fast N’ Loud.

The success of the Corvette showed that Rawlings could not only rescue classics but reinvent them for a new generation.

The Holy Grail: Rawlings’ Most Sentimental Buy

Amid all the auctions and negotiations, one vehicle holds a particularly sentimental place in Richard Rawlings’ heart: his 1968 Shelby GT350. Unlike many of the other cars he flipped, this one wasn’t about the profit—it was personal.

Rawlings acquired the GT350 in memory of his father, who had always loved Shelby Mustangs. The car was in need of major repairs, but instead of rushing the process for TV drama, Rawlings took his time. The build was heartfelt and meticulous, and the result was stunning.

Although offers came pouring in for the completed Shelby, Rawlings never sold it.

To this day, it remains one of the few cars in his personal collection, a reminder of where he came from and why he fell in love with cars in the first place. It’s rare to see sentimentality in the world of flips and fast money, but this car reminded fans that for Rawlings, passion always came before profit.

Auction Legends and Fast Sales

Some of Rawlings’ greatest flips came not just from the cars themselves but from the auction floors where they were sold. He built a reputation for bringing high-quality, show-stopping cars to Barrett-Jackson and Mecum Auctions—and many of his best flips became overnight legends.

One standout example is the Ford Galaxie Sunliner, a convertible cruiser Rawlings picked up on a whim. The garage transformed it into a beachy, retro ride with modern guts. It sold within minutes at auction, exceeding Rawlings’ own projections.

The fast sales, big profits, and roaring engines may seem like TV magic, but behind every successful flip was hours of hard work, gut instinct, and business savvy. Rawlings was not just a car lover—he was a showman and entrepreneur who knew how to sell a dream on four wheels.

Legacy of Fast N’ Loud

Over 16 seasons, Fast N’ Loud created some of the most iconic automotive moments on television. Whether it was a barn find turned into a beauty, a rare Euro import restored to glory, or a muscle car built to burn rubber, Rawlings’ vision helped reshape how the world sees custom car culture.

Even after the show ended, its legacy continues through Gas Monkey Garage’s YouTube channel, social media presence, and branded merchandise. And Richard Rawlings? He’s still buying, still flipping, and still living life in the fast lane.

Richard Rawlings and Aaron Kaufman were the two main people behind Gas Monkey Garage. They were the mainstays (until Aaron left the show to start his own program, Shifting Gears). It seems like Richard Rawlings, who is a self-proclaimed businessman before he is a car junkie, can be a hard guy to work with. He is the main man behind Fast N’ Loud, though, a reality TV show on Discovery Channel where his crew at Gas Monkey Garage transforms old cars into remarkable, customized treasures. In quite a short amount of time, he can usually remake a car into something spectacular. But the audience isn’t always privy to what happens after the car is finished. Sometimes a build goes to auction, it might be featured on Fast N’ Loud again, and sometimes it’s kept in the garage—other times, it just goes to Rawlings himself!

Updated January 2022: If you’re a fan of Richard Rawlings and his Gas Monkey crew on Fast N’ Loud, you’ll be pleased to know that we’ve updated this article with more information about the builds that made Richard the biggest profits and the biggest losses.

Gas Monkey Garage, which is based out of Dallas, Texas, is known for taking run-down cars and bringing them back to life and Rawlings profits by flipping them quickly. Part of the show follows Richard’s journeys through the US to check out potential money-making cars. But the cars that Rawlings thinks are valuable—or will be once he’s done with them—often prove to be lemons. Sometimes he scores big at auction, but just as often—if not more—Rawlings ends up losing his shirt and not making any profit on the cars he sells.

10Loser: Ford GT40

via Motor1This one was a bit heartbreaking for Rawlings and his crew because of how much they time and money they put into the car, only to the result of dismal auction efforts. This 800-hp Ford GT was spiced up during a two-part series on Fast N’ Loud and then the “GMGT” (Gas Monkey GT) was put up for auction across the Barrett-Jackson block. Rawlings put $250,000 into this beauty and then it sold at the auction for just $230,000—not even covering the labor for his guys. Richard wanted $500,000 for it, so he lifted the reserve, then lost money.

Related:5 Things That Are Totally Fake About Fast N’ Loud (5 That Are 100% Real)

9Winner: 1970 Plymouth Superbird

via Gas Monkey GarageThis gorgeous 1970 Plymouth Superbird was seen in Gas Monkey’s garage. This is a car that was built to race. It’s an original muscle car and Plymouth was forced to make enough Superbirds back in the day to meet NASCAR’s two-per-dealer requirement for racing, after they announced that race cars must also be available to the public. In the end, this is said to be one of just 308 produced as road-going examples, of the 2,000 ever produced. Richard Rawlings wanted $183,000 for it, which was the Hagerty value of a 1970 Superbird at fair condition, and it ended up almost getting that exact amount: $181,500.

8Loser: 1967 Ford Mustang

via DiscoveryThis is another car where everything seemed a little too perfect on the Fast N’ Loud episode in which it was featured. They were on pace to meet the deadline to have it finished and then, out of nowhere, the pristine ’67 Mustang was smashed into while on transit to the shop. They made a big hullabaloo on the show (who knows if this part was scripted or not, though they tried their hardest to make it seem like it wasn’t) and Richard Rawlings had a near-meltdown on the offending driver because the guy apparently didn’t have insurance. In all, Rawlings had to spend $50,000 in repairs because of the other guy’s lack of insurance.

Related:Here Are The Coolest Cars Featured On Fast N’ Loud

7Winner: 1966 Volkswagen “Shorty”

via PinterestWhen Gas Monkey Garage came out in force to the Barrett-Jackson auction with the intent of profiting off seven of their vehicles, not all of them were winners. But this little 1966 VW “Shorty” was one of the bunch that brought in a profit. This little Volkswagen bus was bought by Richard for $2,000 and he had $7,500 more put into it. His investment ended up bringing him $38,500, though, which is a huge profit percentage over his cost! It’s little flips like these that keep Gas Monkey Garage open, especially when they lose their shirts on bigger, more expensive auction busts.

6Loser: 1978 Ford Fairmont

via StangTVThis chromed-out 1978 Ford Fairmont drift car was an eBay find that was built by the crew on Fast N’ Loud. Under the hood of this once-humble family sedan, which has been heavily modified, is the heart of a 1986 Ford Mustang, a 5.0-liter V8. It also has a five-speed manual transmission, an 8.8-inch rear with a 4:10 ratio, and a heavily upgraded suspension setup with Hotchis trailing arms, KYB shocks, an Aerospace five-lug disc brake conversion, racing seats, and a roll cage. In all, Rawlings put over $40,000 into this car to customize it, but it ended up selling on eBay for just $16,549!

5Winner: 1981 Custom Jeep CJ-7

via Tempe in MotionTalk about a big score! Gas Monkey Garage considered themselves fortunate to work on this build, restoring and customizing a 1981 Jeep CJ7 for the Gary Sinise Foundation and Sunbelt Rentals. The team said of the car that, “While building cars is our passion, this build allowed us the pleasure of aiding Gary Sinise in his passion for helping our defenders, veterans, first responders, their families, and those in need.” It was sold at a Barrett-Jackson auction in Scottsdale, where 100% of the proceeds went to the benefit of the Gary Sinise Foundation. And boy, were those proceeds beneficial! This white-accented CJ-7, honoring all the branches of the US military, sold for a whopping $1.3 million!

Related:Here’s The Real Story Behind Fast N’ Loud

4Loser: 1948 Chevrolet Fleetmaster

via PinterestEven though you don’t always see it, Richard Rawlings has had as many bad days at auction as he has good days—if not more. This 1948 Chevrolet Fleetmaster is a prime example of a car that the Gas Monkey guys put up for auction. Rawlings can be seen in a video of the auction with a stern face, realizing that the bid price isn’t going up nearly as much as he would have wanted. According to him, he put $22,500 into this car and then it sold at auction for just $11,750! Rawlings complained to the buyer that he got the “deal of a lifetime” and in a post-sale interview, the buyer said he was at the right place at the right time.

3Winner: 1991 Ferrari F40

via Motor AuthorityThis 1991 Ferrari F40 has quite a history behind it, much of it thanks to Richard Rawlings. This resurrected car was featured on Fast N’ Loud in 2013, when it was given a new lease on life. It was wrecked in 2011 after a mechanic steered it into a fence, ruining the front end and damaging the chassis. Rawlings’ business partner, Dennis Collins, bought the car for $400,000. Rawlings and Aaron Kaufman did a full rebuild, making it straighter, lighter, and faster, and sold it for $643,500.

2Loser: 1968 Chevrolet Impala Custom Hardtop

via Hemmings Motor NewsThis beautiful reconstruction of a 1968 Impala was built by the Gas Monkey team on Fast N’ Loud with the express purpose of selling it at an upcoming Barrett-Jackson auction. It was featured in the episode called “Preparation for Barrett-Jackson.” It started with a great platform and in excellent condition, and was finished with a black vinyl top, factory green paint job, updated taillights to LED twilight models, a modernized look, and much more. In all, Rawlings threw over $30,000 into this car. It ended up selling at auction for $34,000, which doesn’t sound bad but that’s without taking auction fees and manual labor into account. For him to have made a profit, he probably would have had to see $50,000 at auction.

1Winner: K.I.T.T. Knight Rider Car

via DiscoveryIn one surprising episode of Fast N’ Loud, Richard Rawlings was approached and commissioned to build a custom Knight Rider car, K.I.T.T. from the classic David Hasselhoff TV show—but with a few caveats. For his friend’s 40th birthday, the challenge was to create the car in just 14 days, which Rawlings said he’d have no problem doing. He said he could build it for just $25,000. He was offered $100,000 if he could finish the build in two weeks! Then he was offered ANOTHER $100,000 if he could manage to bring the Hoff himself to his friend’s birthday party, just to pose with the car and hang out. Rawlings managed both, scoring a $175,000 profit on this two-week build.